A military avgeek X-ing for military avgeeks
Joined May 2019
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Spent the day at Scotland’s National Museum of Flight, and what a lineup! From the Avro Vulcan that took part in the Black Buck raids to an English Electric Lightning that could overhaul a Concorde, and of course a Concorde itself, there’s plenty here for both military and civilian avgeeks. Here are a few of my favourites from the visit. Enjoy!
The Super Hornet line is officially winding down! On September 29, the same day Boeing won the F/A-XX contract, the Navy awarded Boeing a roughly $16.7 million contract to support the orderly shutdown of the Super Hornet and Growler production lines in St. Louis. The clock is ticking for the Navy’s do-it-all jet 😞 1/2
The Super Hornet isn't going anywhere just yet. F/A-XX is still years away, so Super Hornets and Growlers will keep launching off carrier decks while the F-35C, MQ-25 and eventually drone wingmen fill in around them. It may never have had the glamour of some other fighters, but the jet will be remembered as one of the most useful fighters of the modern era. So #avgeeks, now I ask you: what's your favourite thing about the Rhino? 2/2
With 5,195 built, the F-4 is America's most-produced supersonic fighter. Not bad for a twin-engine brute designed in the 1950s, eh! The F-16 is chasing the Phantom’s production record. But, here's the kicker: the F-4 did it in 23 years. The F-16 has had over 50, and is still chasing!
An amazing view of AH-64s from the 12th CAB’s “Viper Battalion” lying in ambush, hovering just a few feet above the ground during a training exercise (Circa 2020). Attack helicopter crews train hard to hug the terrain, using trees, ridgelines and folds in the ground to mask their approach from enemy radar and SHORAD. Then, at the right moment, they pop up, unleash their missiles and disappear back into cover. It may not look like much, but Western attack helicopters are deadly ambush predators, especially when hunting armour.
Poland got its first Italian-built F-35! 🎉 On October 1, the ninth F-35A landed at Łask Air Base, and it's the first Polish jet assembled at Leonardo's plant in Cameri, Italy. The first eight came from Fort Worth. Poland has ordered 32 F-35As and expects 14 on home soil by the end of the year.
EARL of BUFF? The USAF is using VR to train the next generation of B-52 pilots. Called EARL (or Experiential Air Refueling Lightweight Simulator), the set up lets student pilots practise one of the hardest skills in aviation: aerial refuelling. The payoff? Fewer tanker sorties, lower costs and more practice before pilots ever leave the ground. The BUFF may be old, but its training pipeline certainly isn't, so this is a cool move 😗
The five programs that will define American air power over the next decade, in my opinion. No. 1: drone wingmen! The USAF now wants at least 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2032, an F-22 just commanded a Fury drone in flight, and the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray is getting carrier control hubs. This is the biggest shift in air combat since, perhaps stealth, and it's moving faster than most people realize. 1/5
An F-22 pilot just became an airborne quarterback! Earlier this month over Edwards AFB, a Raptor pilot paired and sent live tactical commands to a YFQ-44A Fury, Anduril’s collaborative combat aircraft. It was a first for both the F-22 and a pre-production Fury. The two jets took off, joined up in the air, and the Raptor pilot sent mission plans to the drone over a tactical data link. In other words, the two linked up and started coordinating. But what happened next is where things get interesting... 👀 1/2
No.3 the F-47. It's in engineering and manufacturing development, and first flight is still targeted for 2028. I'll be honest, I want to see more than renders. But if the Air Force pulls this off on schedule, it sets the bar for every sixth-gen Western fighter that follows. 3/5
No. 5, Bell's MV-75 tiltrotor. The Army picked it to replace the UH-60, six prototypes are planned, and a production decision is due in 2028. Tiltrotors have had a rough ride, but in my opinion this is their best shot at going mainstream. That's my five! What's on your list, and what did I miss? 👀 5/5
No. 4, the F-35. Yes, still! This month the Marines stood up their 10th F-35B squadron, and a Navy F-35C trapped aboard a Ford-class carrier for the first time. Love it or hate it, no other stealth fighter is being built and fielded at this scale. It's the backbone, and it's still growing. 4/5
The USNavy now has two carriers ready to run its MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone! USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) just joined USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) with its own Unmanned Air Warfare Center, the control hub that lets the ship's crew command drones. The Stingray is meant to take over aerial refueling from Super Hornets, which have reportedly spent 20 to 30 percent of their carrier flights just tanking other jets! The first production MQ-25 flew in April, and the Navy plans to buy 76. Not flashy, but it might be the most useful drone in the Navy.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The attached image is a 2018 Lockheed Martin concept render of a proposed MQ-25 design (similar to its RQ-170), not actual Boeing MQ-25 Stingrays or RQ-170s.
popularmechanics.com/military/aviat…
breakingdefense.com/2018/08/navy-e…
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MQ-2…
Don't let that humble display trolley fool you; it's carrying India's first AI-powered loyal wingman concept! On October 13, Bengaluru-based Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace unveiled a full-scale static prototype of the FWD Supreme. The company is targeting a range of 1,500+ km, speeds of 600 km/h, and the ability to team 15 to 20 drones with manned fighters. These are aspirations, not final numbers, and yes, the design/demonstrator is still some time away from first flight, but one thing is clear: from the US to Australia and from Turkey to now India, everyone wants a loyal wingman 😁 It's a real race to get one battle-ready. Who's going to make it first?
